ANECDOTES OF THE ORANG-OUTAN. 33 



necessity for this ape. It traverses them with the utmost ease, passing 

 from tree to tree without touching the soil. " It is a strange sight to 

 see the Meias taking his way through the woods. He advances along 

 a huge bough, in a half upright attitude ; he seems to select trees which 

 touch their neighbors. When he is near enough he puts out his long 

 arms, seizes the branch and pulls it to test its strength ; if it stands the 

 test he swings himself into it, and thus proceeds ; he never springs or 

 leaps, and never seems to hurry, although he goes as fast as a man can 

 run through the forest." 



His long arms are seen to be of the utmost value ; they enable him to 

 climb easily, to reach the fruits on the highest, thinnest twigs, and to 

 collect leaves and sprigs to form his nest. How he builds this nest 

 Wallace relates. The Meias that he wounded, climbed higher up the 

 tree and began to break off branches and lay them across. With extra- 

 ordinary rapidity he seized with his still uninjured arm, boughs in 

 every direction, and in a few minutes had formed a close mass of leafage 

 which hid him from my view. A like nest is used for sleeping in, but 

 it is placed nearer the ground at a height of from eight to fifteen yards. 

 The natives say that when it rains the Meias covers his nest with leaves. 

 The Orang-outan does not leave his nest till the dew is dry on the 

 leaves. He feeds throughout the day exclusively on fruit, buds and 

 young shoots ; he prefers unripe to ripe fruit, and eats them when 

 strongly bitter ; he usually eats only part of each fruit plucked. It is 

 very rarely that the Orang-outan descends to earth ; he does so only 

 when compelled to seek for water or food in the dry season. They 

 often stand upright, but never walk in that attitude unless they have 

 hold of a branch above them ; representations of them walking by the 

 aid of sticks are purely imaginary. 



The Dayak natives affirm that no animal is strong enough to injure 

 the Meias, and the only creature with which he fights is the crocodile, 

 which often attempts to seize him when plucking the young shoots 

 near the water. The Meias flies at this foe, beats him with his feet 

 and hands, tears his jaws open and slays him. The Meias seldom fights 

 with man. 



In its native woods the Orang-outan seems to be an unsocial animal, 

 and leads a hermit-like existence, sitting in its nest till hunger impels it 

 to move. Like other apes it exhibits an objection to captivity, has great 

 cunning and great docility, together with great attachment to all that 



